Growth of global desecularization

Eric Kaufmann, a professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, using a a wealth of demographic studies, argues that there will be a significant decline of global atheism in the 21st century which will impact the Western World.

Eric Kaufmann, a professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, using a a wealth of demographic studies, argues that there will be a significant decline of global atheism in the 21st century which will impact the Western World.

In addition, Kaufmann argues that religious conservatism has a long term trend of rising and that their influence in the world will significantly increase. Kaufmann is author of the book Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?. In the Western World due to immigration and the higher birth rates of religious people, Kaufman writes: "Committed religious populations are growing in the West, and will reverse the march of secularism before 2050."

Kaufmann told a secular audience in Australia: "The trends that are happening worldwide inevitably in an age of globalization are going to affect us."

Furthermore, Kaufmann also argues that secularization may reverse itself significantly earlier than 2050 in the West due to religious immigration and a religious population which is increasingly resistant to secularization in Europe (See: Austria offers a window into what the future holds for Europe as far as desecularization).

In 2010, it was reported that the rate of secularisation flattened to zero in most of Protestant Europe and France. In terms of the English speaking world, Google trend data as of August 2013 indicates that the world's interest in atheism and evolutionism has declined since 2004 while interest in God has increased.

Many Amish have large families and in 2012 the Amish were named the fastest growing faith group in the United States and the Amish population is projected to grow to 1 million people by 2050.

In the above picture, Amish residents are waving to President George W. Bush (Lancaster, Pa., August 2006)

Michael Blume, a researcher at the University of Jena in Germany, wrote "Most societies or communities that have espoused atheistic beliefs have not survived more than a century." Blume also indicated concerning concerning his research on this matter: "What I found was the complete lack of a single case of a secular population, community or movement that would just manage to retain replacement level." See also: Atheism and sexuality

In addition, currently the Western World population is aging in terms of its demographic makeup, particularly in secular Europe, and it has been found that belief in God grows as a person's death nears.

On December 23, 2012, Kaufmann wrote:

“

I argue that 97% of the world's population growth is taking place in the developing world, where 95% of people are religious. On the other hand, the secular West and East Asia has very low fertility and a rapidly aging population... In the coming decades, the developed world's demand for workers to pay its pensions and work in its service sector will soar alongside the booming supply of young people in the third world. Ergo, we can expect significant immigration to the secular West which will import religious revival on the back of ethnic change. In addition, those with religious beliefs tend to have higher birth rates than the secular population, with fundamentalists having far larger families. The epicentre of these trends will be in immigration gateway cities like New York (a third white), Amsterdam (half Dutch), Los Angeles (28% white), and London, 45% white British.

”

Another factor which could increase the pace of desecularization is economic instability as their is a positive correlation between economic instability and religiosity. And Europe's economic stagnation combined with its aging population points to future economic instability in Europe (see: Secular Europe's economic crisis).

For more information please see the articles:

• Desecularization

• Multiculturism and European desecularization

• Global atheism

• Atheist population

Rapid growth of evangelical Christianity and pentecostalism

The American sociologist and author Peter L. Berger: "One can say with some confidence that modern Pentecostalism must be the fastest growing religion in human history."

See also: Global Christianity

In 2012, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) reported that every day there are 800 less atheists per day, 1,100 less non-religious (agnostic) people per day and 83,000 more people professing to be Christians per day.

In 2011, the American Spectator declared:

“

The report estimates about 80,000 new Christians every day, 79,000 new Muslims every day, and 300 fewer atheists every day. These atheists are presumably disproportionately represented in the West, while religion is thriving in the Global South, where charismatic Christianity is exploding."

”

The World Christian Database estimates the number of Evangelicals at 300 million individuals, Pentecostals and Charismatics at 600 million individuals and "Great Commission" Christians at 700 million individuals. These Christian groups are not mutually exclusive. Operation World estimates the number of Evangelicals at 550 million individuals.

Michael Brown wrote:

“

Several decades ago, church statistician and demographer David Barrett began to report the surprising news that around the world, the most rapidly growing faith was Spirit-empowered Christianity, marked by clear gospel preaching, belief in the literal truth of the Scriptures, and the reality of God’s presence. (The data were compiled in the prestigious “World Christian Encyclopedia,” published by Oxford University Press.)... This is confirmed in the new Pew Forum report, which showed that evangelical Protestant churches in America grew by 2 million from 2007 to 2014 whereas the so-called mainline (liberal) Protestant churches declined by 5 million, meaning that evangelical Protestants now make up the largest religious group in the nation. (Although this is not part of the Pew Forum survey, my surmise is that the evangelical churches that are most Bible-based and make the most serious, grace-empowered demands on their congregants are, generally speaking, the ones that are growing rather than declining.

”

The American sociologist and author Peter L. Berger introduced the concept of desecularization in 1999. According to Berger, "One can say with some confidence that modern Pentecostalism must be the fastest growing religion in human history."

Evangelical Christianity is growing in secular Europe and atheistic China

In the Europe of tomorrow, immigration and religious fertility will increase the proportion of committed Christians in Europe, many from the developing world. See: Desecularization of Europe

The current atheist population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia among whites. See: Western atheism and race

Evangelical Christianity is growing in secular Europe

At the present time, evangelical Christianity is growing in secular Europe (see: Evangelical Christianity is growing in secular Europe) and Europe is expected to see desecularization in the 21st century sometime before 2050 and this trend is expected to continue.

Evangelical Christianity is seeing rapid growth in China

At the present time, Christianity is experiencing explosive growth in China (See: Growth of Christianity in China).

On November 1, 2014, an article in The Economist entitled Cracks in the atheist edifice declared:

“

Officials are untroubled by the clash between the city’s famously freewheeling capitalism and the Communist Party’s ideology, yet still see religion and its symbols as affronts to the party’s atheism... Yang Fenggang of Purdue University, in Indiana, says the Christian church in China has grown by an average of 10% a year since 1980. He reckons that on current trends there will be 250m Christians by around 2030, making China’s Christian population the largest in the world. Mr. Yang says this speed of growth is similar to that seen in fourth-century Rome just before the conversion of Constantine, which paved the way for Christianity to become the religion of his empire.

”

American secular leftism and Christian backlash

See also: Culture war and American atheism

After the prayer-in-school decision in 1962 and particularly after Rowe vs. Wade in 1973 desecularization accelerated rapidly and seriously impacted the national political arena in a divisive fashion pitting a secular-liberal humanism against a conservative moralism, pitting Darwin against “intelligent Design”.

Historically in the United States, political victories by the secular left helped cause a period of increased religiosity among religious conservatives.

Recently, the secular left has shifted many universities politically to the left and instituted policies such as political correctness and a greater degree of discrimination in the hiring of conservative professors. For example, in 2013, an study found that academia was less likely to hire evangelical Christians due to discriminatory attitudes. In addition, same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States in 2015 and some Christian businesses which deal with weddings such as bakers have been fined for refusing service to homosexuals who wanted their services related to weddings. Historically, biblical Christianity has often thrived during periods of increased persecution/discrimination.

The academic article The Nation with the Soul of a Church declared:

“

After the foundation of a secular republic a process of reactive desecularization has set in, first regionally and then, in fits and starts, also nationally. Animated by the First Amendment’s “free exercise” and protected by the “anti-establishment clause” there have been a series of popular religious reactions to the separation of church and state, commonly called awakenings. From the 18th to the early 20th century most of these remained politically inconsequential. However, the liberal revolution of the 1960s provoked a string of popular political responses. Since then the formerly “silent minorities” morphed into “moral majorities” and became a new political force. After the prayer-in-school decision in 1962 and particularly after Rowe vs. Wade in 1973 desecularization accelerated rapidly and seriously impacted the national political arena in a divisive fashion pitting a secular-liberal humanism against a conservative moralism, pitting Darwin against “intelligent Design”. In order to combat excessive secularization and moral relativism the crisis management of the religious right called for simple answers, for so-called fundamentals. The born again experience of the evangelicals favored private instead of state-managed solutions. The new litmus test of moral authority became “Have you chosen Jesus as your personal saviour?”

”

American culture war, demographics and expected tipping point in 2020

Eric Kaufman wrote in his 2010 book Shall the Righteous Inherit the Earth? concerning America:

“

High evangelical fertility rates more than compensated for losses to liberal Protestant sects during the twentieth century. In recent decades, white secularism has surged, but Latino and Asian religious immigration has taken up the slack, keeping secularism at bay. Across denominations, the fertility advantage of religious fundamentalists of all colours is significant and growing. After 2020, their demographic weight will begin to tip the balance in the culture wars towards the conservative side, ramping up pressure on hot-button issues such as abortion. By the end of the century, three quarters of America may be pro-life. Their activism will leap over the borders of the 'Redeemer Nation' to evangelize the world. Already, the rise of the World Congress of Families has launched a global religious right, its arms stretching across the bloody lines of the War on Terror to embrace the entire Abrahamic family.

”

Decline of American 1990s secularism

For more information please see:

• American atheism

• Decline of American 1990s secularism

• Demographics and the expected decline of American secularism

Recent setbacks to American atheist movement

See also: Atheist movement

Decline of internet atheism

The article Internet atheism: The thrill is gone! points out that internet atheism has been in a significant slump since 2008.

See also: Internet atheism

During the period of 2008 to 2012, the atheist community made a concerted effort to spread atheism through means of the internet. However, leading atheist websites have seen plunges in web traffic during this same period and during the first half of 2012.

Reddit atheism, also known as r/atheism, is one of the largest internet groups of atheists. Mashable reported that Reddit atheism recently grew to 2 million members so it may very well be the largest online community of atheists.

A June 14, 2013 Mashable article declared: "In recent years, r/atheism has become known for memes, images, quote pictures and other content viewed by some as "low brow." See also: Reddit atheism

In May of 2012, it was pointed out by supporters of Creation Ministries International's Question evolution! campaign that from a global internet perspective the public's interest in the views of the agnostic/weak atheist Richard Dawkins and the atheist PZ Myers and in atheism are on the decline while interest in Jesus and Christianity are on the upswing.

For more information please see:

• Internet atheism

• Internet atheism - post 2007 market share loss

• Global atheism

• Decline of atheism

• Atheistic bullying

Atheist infighting and factions

See also: Atheist factions

As noted above, another factor contributing to the decline of global atheism is the lack of unity and the significant amount of infighting in the atheist community. For more information please see: Atheist factions

Lack of sound leadership

See also: Atheism and leadership

The leadership status of prominent atheists/agnostics in the secular community at this present juncture is increasingly transient due to atheist infighting, the significant amount of unpleasant personalities within the atheist population, the New Atheism failing, the decline of liberal media market share, a loss of confidence within the atheist community, the decline of global atheism and the secularization rate being zero in former areas of influence such as Protestant Europe and France (see: Decline of atheism and Atheist factions). A recent example of this is Richard Dawkins' loss of influence in the atheist community post subsequent to the Elevatorgate controversy (see: Richard Dawkins' loss of influence). Another example of this is Paul Kurtz, the father of secular humanism, who left no legacy.

The British academic and agnostic Eric Kaufmann recently wrote, "Worldwide, the march of religion can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware secularism. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence."

Communist China has the world's largest atheist population and China's atheist leaders are panicking about the explosive growth of Christianity in their country.

Using academic studies, survey data and other information, supporters of the Question evolution! campaign maintain that there is a lack of sound leadership within the agnostic/atheist and evolutionist communities in dealing with the global decline of atheism and agnosticism.

See:

• Atheism is rudderless and unseaworthy

• Evolutionists, atheists and agnostics: Where is your master plan to reverse your global decline?

• Thoughtful and effective Christian evangelism vs. inept atheism evangelism

External links

• Douglas Todd: Who shall inherit the Earth? Perhaps, the religious. Think religion is declining? Don’t forget who is ‘going forth and multiplying’ By Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, October 10, 2014

• Religious baby boom primed to send shock waves through secular world, The Australian, Miriam Cosic

• The future of European Darwinism and atheism is bleak

• The academic journal Sociology of Religion shows secularism losing momentum and beginning to decline in both Europe and America by 2050. Other academic research shows it may begin to happen much earlier

• A number of academic journals now indicate that global atheism/agnosticism is shrinking in influence and there is now a global resurgence of religion

• Secularism and Atheism? Don't Worry - They Are Dying Out!

Factors increasing growth of immigration into Europe:

• Chain migration and the growth of European immigrants

• Illegal immigration: Is Europe losing control of its borders?